The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-15
JEFFERSON DAVIS AND HIS WIFE
Upcle George Green's Story of How f;
Young Lieutenant Won His Bride. !

uitiC bp1No AL NoS III tilNNlS dU IOrJdge al
fioated them again on the clear water of ii
Wisconsin river, they had for their aim Il
establishment Of new missions in the vallt
of the Mississippi Father Hennepin four
no place on the upper Mississippi so adval
tageous for til founding of a mission
where the Wisconsin river flows into I'll
Mississippi, and there, with the aid of Il
friendly WinnebagoeS. he established plas
of worship. In 1926 Fort Crawford was @
tahlished at this point by the Government
and Col. Zachary Taylor was placed in cor
maud The ruins of Fort Crawford a.
situated on rise of ground Just southf
Prairie du CHEN. There are vet few nh
in Wisconsin who remember President ny
lor and his garrison at the fort, as welas
the pompous Jeff DAVIS, then young ocer
III subordinate command. Uncle Gree, as
lie is known here, is one Of the few I'm OF
that sort left He said to-day;
Il am sorry that the old flagstaff It the
fort has been cut down. That seeni to be
the only thing that never change, for it
stood there just the same as it useto when
young JEFF Davis pulled the cars and
Stripes to its very top, and TODD and
watched the flag as the wind eSght III its
folds. But that was many Yes ago, and
there have been many changes Did know
JEFF Davis Well, should ,ways rather
t. va of him as | knew him zen. He was
dashing young officer, inened to be over
bearing in his ways, never, elgnlng to look
at those he thought beneat him in social
position or rank. He was gallant
lover, and it was no womb that the beautl-
full daughter of Col. TAYLOR fell in
love with him here. So was a romantic
young creature, as ren,mber her, and was
the one bright and refinig influence thrown
around the rough carp life. o, yes she
worshipped young DAYS. But her father,
grim old warrior that was, could not toll
crate jeff Davis, and hen he saw that his
daughter was continually unhappy unless
i'll the company of tn young officer, he de-
termined on separating them, and accord
ingly sent his dauqter to convent i'll
Baton Rouge His dislike of Davis grew
into a perfect hatls, and much unpleasant
ness was the result
''In a few days aer the departure of the
daughter Davis prented him with a docu-
ment which reguird his signature. 1t was
an order from GenWayne granting fur
Tough to Davis TIE wary old Colonel saw
through the ruse ira moment, and at first
refused to sign therder, but could not well
persist in this naturalization or he would
be guilty of content The order had come
from his superior oicer, and he must sign it,
and, with a black sowl on his face, he af-
fixed his signature the official document.
jeff was now free FIR thirty days and he
lost no time i Fastening to Baton
Rouge to join his sweetheart. Col. Taylor
was a man of graf determination, as he
afterward showed In the Mexican war and
in the Presidential chair He dispatched
his swiftest messengers to bring his daughter
home by circuitoB route, and thus thwart
the young officer wlo was hurrying to meet
her. The girl wa. brought back to the
parental roof, and after spending greater
part of his furlougl in st. Louis, Davis re-
turned to Fort Crawford. Old Col Taylor
could fight the Irians, and would rather
have met a whole tribe thar contend with
the domestic troubles that now aSsailed
him. He had bnlt log house just out
side the stocklde, and here his fair
daughter strained her beautiful eyes
as she watched the surface of the
river for the coming O her lover After
the return of Davis to Tort Crawford the
GOODNESS which hitherD existed between
him and Col Taylor grew more frigid. The
young woman pinned away in the secluSion
of the log hut, and the young officer bided
the time when he might take his intended
from her fathers roofstealthily and in the
night The father lrsw the character of
the man he had to dead with, and watched
Ills ClDSSlE lNOH, IL llciS O5Ctl
puted that jeff Davis took this young wo-
man from her tatler's house in the night,
but am ready totell what | know and
stand by it.
"You see it happened this way: My name
is George Green, and am so years old if
live until next November. 1t was about
1884, or near tha time. when l, with num-
Der of others, vent up the Mississippi river
on steamer u visit the Falls of st. An
thony. We eft the steamer where st.
Paul now is, md went over to the falls. re
manning so lng that when we returned the
boat was gore. Nothing remained for us TO
dams, which we did, and floated down the
river to Fart Crawford. AT that time there
was a slough separating the few houses
which constituted the village from
the trading post and the fort on
the bank of the river. l thought
might make some money by using
the canoe as a ferryboat across this
slough, and bought out the interest of
my partners. | accordingly established
my ferry, and Jeff Davis was one of my
patrons. 1 did not like his pompous ways
for when he paid his passage he always
threw the money into my hand as though he
was throwing money to beggar. One day
he came to me and asked me if could safely
row two persons across the river, and | re-
piled that l could. Shortly after he came
again and seemed to be somewhat excited as
he asked me to be on hand that evening with
my canoe. He was more gracious i'll his
manner and gave me some money as guar
antee of good faith. | did not know then
that | was to be party to an elopement, or
/ might have objected to doing a wrong
against Col. Taylor, for whom l had the
highest regard. 1t came about, however,
that was at the slough after the sun went
down, and waited patiently for the young
officer.
II had waited some hours when | heard
footsteps, and turning, l saw jeff Davis
and Col. Taylor's daughter hurrying toward
me. Not word was spoken as he lifted
her tenderly to a seat in the canoe, and l
followed, taking up my paddle. We went
down the slough to where it Joined the
river. The young woman began to cry
softly as we swept into the stream, and jeff
drew her head over on his shoulder as he
spoke to her in a soothing voice. Across
the river we drifted, and the sound of my
paddle could not be heard q furlong away
Not q loud word was spoken in
that silent voyage, and | was at loss
to understand the whole affair. We kept
on across the river, and every few moments
took occasion to glance around to see
how my passengers were getting along.
The girl had ceased her crying, and by the
way she rested her head on the bosom of the
young Lieutenant, / somehow became con-
WINGED that she was not altogether unhappy.
We landed on the opposite shore below the
island, and | waited with some interest to
sec what would happen next. Presently